Rebirth: Find a General as Your Backer

Although Changfeng was full of doubts, he immediately replied, "Yes, sir." In his view, this was just an order from the princess, and he would simply carry it out.

As for His Highness's incomprehensible words and actions, he planned to let them go in one ear and out the other, since a little coaxing would make it all pass. Just like General Ling said, he would treat His Highness as a child being willful and not take it too seriously. Thinking this, General Ling's words, "treat it as a child being willful," resurfaced in Changfeng's mind, and he shook his head inwardly with a sense of helplessness.

Seeing that Changfeng didn't seem to understand his master's intentions, the crowd burst into laughter again. Changfeng really had no experience dealing with women, and no matter how others laughed, he felt that as long as he did what his master wanted, that was enough.

After that, as the days went by, Changfeng gradually showed signs of gaining weight, which greatly displeased His Highness Prince Rui, who reprimanded him for neglecting his martial arts and not practicing properly.

This left Changfeng quite frustrated. However, Xing'er's food was so delicious that he couldn't bear not to eat it.

Therefore, we can only let His Highness say what he wants.

......

Thanks to the strong support of the Empress, the Ministry of Rites, and the Xue Rong Prince's residence, Su Lianxue found organizing the gathering of Li Daru and the students much easier. Early in the preparations, guest invitations were meticulously prepared and promptly sent out.

The selection of this guest list owes much to Xue Heng, the top scholar in the imperial examination.

He not only has beautiful handwriting, and his handwritten invitations are highly decorative, but also, through his connections and influence, he successfully invited many scions of prominent families to the event.

For those aspiring to take the imperial examinations, receiving an invitation handwritten by the top scholar was undoubtedly a great honor, and many people treasured it with great joy after receiving it.

On the day of the gathering, heavy snow fell in abundance.

However, the Prince Rui's mansion was bustling with activity, filled with laughter and cheerful voices, exuding a warm and cozy atmosphere that swept away the chill and cold of winter.

The butler stood at the entrance early in the morning, warmly welcoming each guest. His friendly greetings of "Please come in" made the guests feel right at home as soon as they stepped into the palace.

Su Lianxue knew that many students had come because of Li Daru's reputation, eager to witness the master's demeanor and learn more.

Therefore, she specially arranged the banquet venue in the shape of a round table, so that everyone could maintain a close distance with the master and facilitate communication and interaction among themselves.

To make the banquet more elegant, Su Lianxue specially sought out plum blossoms to decorate the venue.

Looking around, plum blossoms were in full bloom throughout the banquet venue, their fragrance wafting gently in the air.

The plum blossom symbolizes nobility and resilience, perfectly matching the integrity of scholars, which moved every guest present, who expressed their heartfelt admiration.

Because of the presence of Xue Heng, the top scholar in the imperial examination, many students from aristocratic families also came.

As for the students from impoverished backgrounds, because His Highness Prince Rui had promised to provide them with the opportunity to participate, the number of attendees was also quite large.

At the beginning of the banquet, everyone listened attentively to Li Daru's lecture. After Li Daru finished explaining, he encouraged everyone to express their opinions and share their views.

Today's banquet is attended not only by the top three scholars in the imperial examinations, but also by many princes. For those from humble backgrounds, this is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shine.

Therefore, the students' discussion was exceptionally lively and insightful.

No one wanted to miss this rare opportunity and everyone longed to showcase their talents. Even if they failed the imperial examinations, as long as they could leave a name for themselves in the capital, it would be extremely beneficial to their livelihood and future development.

"He Qin, could you please deliver this food to Young Master Xue for me?" Li Siqian said shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed. She had arrived at Prince Rui's residence early that morning and had been busy ever since. Knowing that she was coming to Prince Rui's residence, her mother had specially prepared some food for her to take to Xue Heng.

Her mother's personality was now quite different from before; sometimes Li Siqian even felt as if she didn't recognize her mother anymore. However, this change was undoubtedly delightful. Her mother was exceptionally attentive to the princess's instructions and extremely cooperative.

Although her relationship with Xue Heng had been approved by her parents, Li Siqian was still too embarrassed to personally deliver the food in front of so many people, and could only trouble He Qin, who was by the princess's side, for help.

He Qin wore a gentle smile as she recalled the people of some status she had encountered in the past, all of whom were aloof and arrogant.

But now that she's encountered Miss Li and Miss Zhong, who are extremely kind to servants like them, she's naturally very happy to help them. "Yes, Miss Li, is there anything I should pass on a message to you?"

"After he finished eating, his mother told him to tell her if it was delicious or not."

"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" He Qin agreed and quickly walked out with the food.

Today's banquet has many guests, yet everything is in perfect order, with every detail meticulously arranged.

At this moment at the banquet, Chen Yu stood up, looking slightly nervous, but his eyes revealed determination.

Born into an ordinary craftsman's family, he spent his childhood working in the streets and alleys, gaining a deep understanding and appreciation of the lives of ordinary people.

"Gentlemen, let me share my perspective. I come from a poor family, and from a young age, all I've seen are people struggling to make a living. Take my father, for example. He's a skilled carpenter, but even so, he works hard from morning till night, and the money he earns is barely enough to feed his family."

Chen Yu paused slightly, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes, "In our area, taxes are increasing year by year, making life increasingly difficult for the people."

“On ordinary days, people can’t even afford to buy a new piece of clothing. When they are sick, they can only endure it because they have no money to hire a doctor. During the busy farming season, farmers work in the fields under the scorching sun, but most of the harvested grain has to be handed over to taxes, and what’s left is not enough for a family to eat until the following year. As for the craftsmen, even if they have a lot of skills, they often face the dilemma of having no work. If they can’t get any work, their whole family will go hungry.”

"We ordinary people only ask for enough to eat, a stable home, and medicine when we are sick. But nowadays, these seemingly simple wishes are hard to fulfill."

Chen Yu's voice gradually rose, "I know that there are countless families like mine in this world. I hope that if you all hold high positions and have power in the future, you will think more about the people, reduce taxes, build water conservancy projects, and enable the people to live a good life."

Xue Heng listened intently to Chen Yu's explanation, deeply moved. People from aristocratic families like them, living comfortable lives, rarely truly understood the hardships of ordinary people. What Chen Yu spoke of was precisely the real need and voice of ordinary citizens.